Friday, 18 November 2011

Water Cannon Shooting Protesters

Police aimed water cannons directly at citizens during a peaceful protest against the Korea-US FTA.

Officials from National People’s Movement and Human Rights Joint
Meetings claimed one participant in the protest was hit with the water
cannon by the police and passed out with her eardrum ruptured. They
urged the police authorities to find and punish those responsible and
immediately apologize for its excessive use of force.

“I was sent to the hospital after being struck with water cannon.
Doctors told me my eardrum was ruptured from being pressured with
enormous force,” said Park Hee-jin, representative of the Korean Youth
Solidarity. “The police blasted powerful water cannon directly aiming in
short distance at the citizens. They are supposed to protect people,
but they chose to harm us, instead.”

“The rallies were proceeding peacefully but disrupted abruptly with the
use of water cannons. I was also hit with the shots and fell to the
ground,” said Korean Alliance of the Progressive Movements Chairwoman
Lee Gwang-sil.

The two groups said they plan to bring legal charges against those in the police accountable for the damage during the protest. (http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/505506.html)